Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 152 Duke Guo, Yang Sixu
After a period of chaotic noise, the Wang family hall finally quieted down again.

After politely seeing off his colleagues and their sons, Wang Maozhong turned back to look at his son, who was kneeling in the hall with both cheeks red from being slapped, and sneered, "You're not young anymore, but you're still not very shrewd. A thousand pieces of gold may not be a kindness, and a single word can turn into an enemy. Can you say what you would say in private in public?"

"Father, I know I was wrong! But this matter is too strange; someone must be up to no good in secret!"

Upon hearing this reprimand, Wang Shouzhen immediately bowed his head and said...

"Hmph, that's obvious!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Maozhong angrily said, "This must be Consort Hui's scheme, fabricating something out of nothing and spreading rumors! I originally thought she was just a foolish woman who was arrogant because of her favor, but I didn't expect her to be so cunning. This time, she returned in anger, and she actually came up with a plan to sow discord and make things difficult for me."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen looked troubled and said, "Are we just going to give in to public opinion and abandon our previous plan? Which of these Northern Gate slaves is worthy of the women my family has carefully raised? Do they really think that their stupid and inferior children are more outstanding than the Sage?"

Hearing the boy spouting nonsense again, Wang Maozhong raised his hand and slapped him, but quickly said in a deep voice, "Although Consort Hui's plan is wicked, it may not be all bad for me. At least it shows that all the officials at the North Gate want to be close to me, and it lets my followers know that I am the one they all support."

Although they have come to propose marriage, I have more than one daughter in my household. What harm would it do to give one up? However, those young men who wish to become my sons-in-law must demonstrate some real talent and prove themselves worthy to me!

"Excellent, excellent! My family has more than one woman. The best ones will be offered to Your Majesty, and the lesser ones will be given to our colleagues. It's a simple matter, no need to make things difficult!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen quickly replied with a smile. He had spoken rashly in his haste, worried that the Northern Gate bandits would ruin his dream of becoming a member of the imperial family. Now that he heard his father had a solution that satisfied both sides, he was greatly relieved.

Although Wang Maozhong had a plan, he also knew that things would not be so simple. Because he was several days behind in returning, he was also a little at a loss. Now that he had calmed down, he felt quite worried.

"Since the previous plan has already been revealed to Guangcheng Tang, then we should act as soon as possible. Ge Fushun and the others came to my door today, which is certainly because they are eager to ask for my favor, but they may also be unwilling to see me receive more favor. If I advance further because of this, it will be even more difficult for them to rise in the ranks."

Consort Hui is secretly causing trouble, and the eunuchs and others, having returned to the capital, are likely restless and will not remain idle. We must guard against them uniting to secretly disrupt things.

Wang Maozhong was also quick-witted and perceptive. He soon realized that many people did not want him to successfully offer his daughter to the emperor. After a moment's thought, he immediately said, "There are many formalities in the palace around the New Year. We need to choose another time to offer your sister to the emperor. Even if the emperor does not appreciate my daughter, if he knows that the generals from the north gate have all come to propose marriage, his mind may change."

"At this moment, it is especially important for all the generals to be of one mind with me, and not to show any signs of discord. Go quickly to the neighborhood and find Wang Er, and have him cooperate in withdrawing this winter's profits as soon as possible. First, distribute money and silk widely to please the people, and then we can discuss the marriage alliance later."

These generals at the North Gate may be brave and valiant, but most of them are crude, foolish, and short-sighted, only interested in pursuing immediate gains and lacking any long-term vision.

Even if they had ideas like Wang Maozhong meticulously cultivating his daughter for many years to secure his favor, it would be difficult for them to persist for such a long time.

Therefore, despite Wang Maozhong's bad record of abandoning important matters, the emperor still entrusted him with the military affairs of the Northern Army, while other generals, due to their limited talents, rarely had the opportunity to compete. So as long as they were given enough money and benefits, there was no need to worry that these people would gather together and cause trouble.

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen quickly nodded in agreement. However, it was already late at night, and even though he disregarded the curfew, he would still need to use a large number of carriages and servants to transport a large sum of money. Therefore, he could only wait until the next day.

However, things did not go smoothly the next day. When Wang Shouzhen went to Wang Yuanbao's residence in Luoyang, he was told by a servant that Wang Yuanbao had left Luoyang for Bianzhou many days ago to deal with a batch of goods that had been piling up there for a long time.

Although Wang Yuanbao was not in the capital, Wang Shouren still managed to forcibly obtain the treasury keys, copper deeds, and other items from the steward he had left behind, and then went to the Luobei Treasury to prepare to withdraw cash.

Originally, the profit from the flying money agreement required the consent of all three parties before a portion could be withdrawn. However, due to the cumbersome procedures and the frequent use of funds by the eunuchs and the northern government, they simplified the process, separating the withdrawable profits and storing them separately so that each of the three parties could withdraw them directly if needed.

However, when Wang Shouren led his men to the place, they found that a group of people had already taken up residence there. Although he had identified himself, he was still only allowed to enter.

"Gao Chengxin, you eunuch, get out here right now! Do you really think you're the only one in the capital who can command troops? Today I'm going to the treasury to get the money. If I can't, I'll go back to the north gate to gather troops. Then, this matter won't be something you can handle alone!"

Wang Shouzhen wasn't stupid. Seeing this, he naturally didn't dare to enter alone, so he stood outside the gate and started shouting and cursing. He shouted for a long time, but the guards didn't move, which made him even more embarrassed and angry. So he simply ordered the distribution of weapons and was about to lead his men to launch an attack and charge in.

"Who's making a scene here!"

Just then, a roar came from the side of the street, and a group of people came out from the other side. Among them was an old eunuch wearing a hood, with an old face but sharp eyes, who was sitting in a palanquin.

Wang Shouzhen always looked down on eunuchs who were physically disabled and served as menial servants such as sweeping and guiding. Even when facing powerful eunuchs like Gao Lishi, he would only be polite on the surface. But when facing eunuchs of slightly lower rank like Gao Chengxin, he would call them castrated slaves without any scruples.

But when he saw the old eunuch sitting in the palanquin, his expression suddenly changed, and his arrogance vanished. He dismounted and stood by the roadside, bowing to the old eunuch and saying, "When will Lord Guo return to the capital? My disturbance here is due to the thieves Gao Shiliu and his gang making things difficult for you, not because I intend to disturb Lord Guo."

It wasn't that he was impolite; it was just that he felt most people he encountered in his daily life didn't deserve his politeness, but this old eunuch was someone he needed to treat with respect.

The old eunuch was none other than General Yang Sixu, the Duke of Guo, and the undisputed number one eunuch in the palace! His position in the palace system was equivalent to that of Wang Maozhong in the Northern Palace, but in terms of merit and prestige, he was even more outstanding than Wang Maozhong.

During the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty, eunuchs were often sent to various border towns as military supervisors to oversee the military governors. However, Yang Sixu, a eunuch, was himself a general in command of troops. At the beginning of the year, the Liao people in Lingnan rebelled, and Yang Sixu was ordered to lead troops to quell the rebellion. After successfully suppressing the rebellion, he inspected and pacified the various Liao tribes in the area before finally returning in triumph.

The generals at the North Gate had a certain psychological advantage over the eunuchs. Firstly, they were physically healthy, and secondly, they believed they were far stronger and more capable than those eunuchs who were like slaves.

However, when facing Yang Sixu, a powerful eunuch who truly commanded troops and killed countless people, Wang Shouzhen lost this psychological advantage and became very reserved.

When Yang Sixu arrived at the scene, he did not speak to Wang Shouzhen first. His sharp eyes swept over the servants and attendants behind him who were holding weapons, before he fixed his gaze on Wang Shouzhen and said in a cold voice, "Is the son of the Wang family putting on such a show to test military tactics with my men in this thoroughfare of the capital?"

“I did not know that this group of men were the entourage of Duke Guo, but this granary contains the profits from my family's business, and I have come to retrieve it on my father's orders. If I cannot even handle such a small matter properly, I fear I will be reprimanded by my father when I return!”

Although Wang Shouzhen was wary of Yang Sixu, she wasn't so afraid that she dared not speak, and she still mustered up her courage to answer.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixu chuckled and pointed at the group of soldiers at the gate, saying, "Then tell me, which one here won't let you in? Point him out, and I'll have him beaten to death on the spot! Whether you succeed or not is none of my business. How your father taught his son is none of my concern! If you want to enter, enter now; if not, leave now!"

Upon hearing these words, Wang Shouzhen's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. In the end, he didn't dare stay to continue confronting Yang Sixu. With a wave of his hand, he led his followers away in a sorry state.

"Your Excellency is truly awe-inspiring. The servants at the North Gate have become increasingly arrogant in recent years, often taking pleasure in humiliating us palace officials. Fortunately, Your Excellency's return to court has deterred them, which has made them somewhat restrained!"

At this moment, Gao Chengxin, who had been hiding inside, came out and repeatedly bowed and flattered Yang Sixu.

Yang Sixu not only held a high official rank, but also had a long seniority in the inner palace, even a generation higher than Gao Lishi and others. After hearing Gao Chengxin's flattery, he merely sneered, then pointed at him and said, "No wonder you invited me here today to retrieve something; it turns out there was a plan here! I have lived for over sixty years and accumulated some fame, which you young disciples are using for your own purposes?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Chengxin bowed even lower, his face contorted with grief, and said, "Your son is timid, please do not make any more jokes or threats, ancestor! My father has already given instructions that the gifts for my father have been prepared. If my father is not satisfied after seeing them in the granary, then it is not too late to punish me!"

The sight of hundreds of thousands of strings of cash piled up in the warehouse was quite striking. Even Yang Sixu, who had seen a lot of the world, was stunned when he saw the warehouse full of money and grain. After a moment, he said, "This flying money is really a good business. What you said is absolutely true!"

That young man from the Zhang family who devised this plan is truly extraordinary! It's rare to find such a talented son of a high-ranking official who is also considerate enough to befriend us palace officials. When he has time, remember to bring him to see me. I will have a gift for him; let's not let outsiders mistakenly think that I've accepted his favor but neglected my proper etiquette!"

"If that's what you're saying, you're really giving him too much credit! If he knew that, he would be overjoyed!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Chengxin quickly added respectfully. Let alone Wang Shouzhen, even he felt immense pressure being near Yang Sixu. After all, even with his meager courage, this ancestor could kill thousands upon thousands when he unleashed his ruthlessness!
(End of this chapter)